Sweeping machines for streets, factory floors and the like generally include wheel mounted vehicle that moves across a street, floor or other surface to be swept. Most include a brush assembly on each side of the machine, each assembly including a disk on which the brush is mounted with the disk approximately parallel to the surface to be swept and rotatable to sweep dirt and debris from the surface towards a container for disposal.
Conventionally, each brush assembly consists of a heavy metal disk mounted on the sweeping machine for rotation adjacent to the surface to be swept. Brush holders, each a segment of a circle, are bolted to the underside of the disk adjacent to the disk periphery forming a circle. Generally, the brushes are made up of U-shaped bristles formed from stiff metal wire, such as piano wire and are attached to the brush holder.
These bristles tend to wear rapidly, particularly where the surface is rough, such rough concrete surfaces. Therefore, the brush holders must be removed from the disk and the bristles be replaced at regular intervals. To replace the brush holders requires elevation of the support disks and unbolting the brush holders from the support disks. This is a time consuming task which is difficult and can be dangerous because of the great weight of the support disks. The bolts may become jammed, rusted and are supporting the weight of the brush holders and brushes. Reinstallation requires holding the brush holders so that holes in the holders align with corresponding holes in the support disks. This is difficult with the heavy brush holders adjacent to the ground with no means of maintaining alignment during installation.
The brush holders, which are generally formed from a plastic material also wear and suffer cracks and must be replaced quite often. In addition the angle of the bristles to the surface being swept is often other than the optimum sweeping angle.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved brush assemblies that allow replacement of brush holders and bristles in an easy, rapid and safe manner, that maintain alignment between brush holders and support disks during disassembly and reassembly that provide an optimum sweeping angle between bristles and the surface to be swept and that are resistant to cracking of brush holders in use.